The Way Home (TV series)

The Way Home is a fantasy drama television series created by Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, and Marly Reed. It premiered on January 15, 2023.[1]

The Way Home
Genre
Created by
Starring
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producers
  • Marly Reed
  • Arnie Zipursky
  • Lauren MacKinlay
  • Hannah Pillemer
  • Fernando Szew
  • Larry Grimaldi
  • Heather Conkie
  • Alexandra Clarke
  • Andie MacDowell
  • Chyler Leigh
  • Susanne Berger
ProducerJohn Calvert
Running time43 minutes
Production companiesHallmark Channel
MarVista Entertainment
Neshama Entertainment
Original release
NetworkHallmark Channel
ReleaseJanuary 15, 2023 (2023-01-15) –
present (present)

The series' second season premiered on January 21, 2024.[2] On March 20, 2024, Hallmark Channel renewed the series for a third season, which is planned to premiere in 2025.[3]

Plot

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The series is a time travel drama about the lives of three generations of strong, willful and independent Landry family women who embark on a journey to find their way back to each other while learning important lessons about their family's past.

More than 20 years prior, life changing events prompted Kat to move away from her small Canadian farm town of Port Haven, and she remains estranged from Del to this day. Alice has never met her grandmother and is unaware of the reasons for their fractured family. With Kat's marriage coming to an end and having just been laid off from her job, she decides to return home after receiving an unexpected letter from Del urging her to come back. Although Alice is none too thrilled, Kat and her daughter arrive at her family's farm, though the reunion isn't what Kat had envisioned. As the three generations of women slowly work on finding their footing as a family, they embark on an enlightening—and surprising—journey none of them could have imagined as they learn how to find their way back to each other.[4]

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Chyler Leigh as Katherine "Kat" Landry Dhawan, Alice's mother, Delilah and Colton's daughter
    • Alex Hook as teenage and young adult Katherine Landry
  • Evan Williams as Elliot "El" Augustine,[5] a close friend of the Landry family and Alice's high school science teacher
    • David Webster as teenage and young adult Elliot Augustine
  • Sadie Laflamme-Snow as Alice "Ali" Dhawan, Kat's daughter, a 15-year-old girl who accidentally discovers she can time travel after falling into the pond on the family property
  • Andie MacDowell as Delilah "Del" Landry,[6] Katherine and Jacob's mother, Colton's widow, and Alice's maternal grandmother

Recurring

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  • Jefferson Brown as Colton "Cole" Landry, Delilah's late husband and Katherine and Jacob's father who also time travels, though he is thought to be dead by his family.
  • Remy Smith as Jacob "Jake" Landry, Colton and Delilah's son and Katherine's younger brother, who has been missing since 1999 and is presumed dead. It was revealed in the season 1 finale that he followed the family dog Finn to the pond, fell in, and was sent back in time to 1790.
    • Spencer Macpherson as adult Jacob Landry (season 2) in 1814
  • Al Mukadam as Brayden "Brady" Dhawan, Katherine's ex-husband and Alice's father, a rich lawyer who lives in Minneapolis
    • Siddharth Sharma as teenage and young adult Brayden Dhawan
  • Nigel Whitmey as Byron Groff (season 1): the owner of the Port Haven, New Brunswick newspaper
  • Samora Smallwood as Monica Hill, a frenemy of Katherine's in high school and a resident of Port Haven who runs a diner
    • Monique Jasmine Paul as teenage Monica Hill
  • Marnie McPhail-Diamond as Rita Richards, a close friend of Delilah's
  • Kataem O'Connor as Spencer Hill, a student at Alice's new high school and Monica's son
  • Ali Prijono as Zoey (season 1): a student at Alice's new high school and Spencer's girlfriend
  • Peyson Rock as Danny Sawyer, Jacob's best friend in 1999
    • Baeyen Hoffman as young Danny Sawyer
  • Samuel Braun as teenage Nick Oates, Alice's boyfriend in 1999 and Elliot's other best friend
  • Alex Mallari Jr. as Dr. Andy Stafford (season 1): a veterinarian in Port Haven who Monica introduces to Katherine
  • Laura de Carteret as Joyce (season 1): Nick's mother and co-owner, with Jude, of the Roxy movie theater
  • Megan Fahlenbock as Jude (season 1): Nick's mother and Joyce's same-sex partner
  • Kris Holden-Ried as Thomas Coyle (season 2), a citizen of Port Haven and Jacob's friend and Katherine’s love interest in 1814
  • Stuart Hughes as Elijah Landry (season 2), Jacob's adoptive father in 1814
  • Watson Rose as Susanna Augustine (season 2), Elliot's ancestor in 1814 and, later, a friend of Kat's
  • Vaughan Murrae as Casey Goodwin (season 2), Kat Landry's new summer intern at The Herald newspaper. Grandchild of recently passed town matriarch, Evelyn Goodwin.
  • Alexander Eling as Noah LeBlanc (season 2), a high school graduate who works for Fish & Chips Truck
  • Rob Stewart as Sam Bishop (season 2), the new owner of the land adjacent to the Landry farm

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110January 15, 2023 (2023-01-15)March 26, 2023 (2023-03-26)
210January 21, 2024 (2024-01-21)March 31, 2024 (2024-03-31)

Season 1 (2023)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Mothers and Daughters"Grant HarveyStory by : Marly Reed and Heather Conkie & Alexandra Clarke
Teleplay by : Heather Conkie & Alexandra Clarke
January 15, 2023 (2023-01-15)1.44[7]
The episode begins in 1814, with a young girl dressed in white being chased through the woods by an angry mob accusing her of being a witch. She escapes by jumping into a pond, but doesn't resurface. In the present, Katherine loses her job and her teenage daughter Alice gets expelled from school. With Katherine's marriage breaking up, it all leads them to move in with her mother, Delilah who she has been estranged from for 20 years. When she learns her parents' marriage is over, Alice runs away into the woods near the farm. After falling into a pond, she finds herself on a surprising journey to the past where she encounters her mother as a teenager.
22"Scar Tissue"Grant HarveyAlexandra ClarkeJanuary 22, 2023 (2023-01-22)1.54[8]
Katherine is presented with a book deal that requires her to dredge up terrible memories. After meeting Katherine's best friend Elliot, Alice returns from the past and discovers that he has the memory of her visits in the past and he councils her to be cautious. Delilah wants to say goodbye to the past and holds a memorial service for Jacob - her son who disappeared 20 years ago. Alice yearns to return to the past to understand what happened.
33"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"Nimisha MukerjiJessica RunckJanuary 29, 2023 (2023-01-29)1.39[9]
Alice falls in love with the past and has her first kiss with a boy named Nick. Her friendship with Katherine in the past continues to grow. In the present, Katherine starts a job with the local newspaper, while Delilah deals with bittersweet memories attached to Colton's boat. Katherine sees Alice enter the pond and goes in after her when she doesn't come back up.
44"What's My Age Again?"Nimisha MukerjiKyle HartFebruary 5, 2023 (2023-02-05)1.56[10]
In Katherine's first visit to the past, she sees her past self interacting with Alice and other members of her family. Alice double dates with her teenage parents.. In the present, Delilah swallows her pride to ask for help.
55"Don't Dream It's Over"Grant HarveyMarly ReedFebruary 19, 2023 (2023-02-19)1.31[11]
In the present, Katherine and Elliot chaperone their old high school's "Back to the '90s" dance; Alice searches for a piece of her past. Elliot sees Katherine and Brady sharing a passionate kiss, not knowing that afterward they agree they can't make the marriage work. Delilah says goodbye to more memories as a local landmark closes its doors.
66"Building a Mystery"Grant HarveyHeather ConkieFebruary 26, 2023 (2023-02-26)1.52[12]
Mature Katherine and Alice unsuccessfully try to prevent Jacob's disappearance in 1999. In the present, The town's decision to hold a carnival that has been cancelled for years as it was the day Jacob disappeared and that causes Del to relive those memories, but she realizes that the tragedy of Jacob was not hers alone but the whole town's and moves towards healing. Del and Katherine speak with Danny (Jacob's friend) about the disappearance and learn that he may have fallen off a cliff, leading Kat to think she could go back and change things. She finds him in time in the past, but her attempt fails.
77"The End of the World as We Know It"Shamim SarifTally Yong Knoll and Kyle HartMarch 5, 2023 (2023-03-05)1.57[13]
Several months after Jacob's disappearance, Alice goes to a New Year's Eve Y2K party to support her friend, teenage Katherine. In the present, Katherine finds a new mystery about her father, while Delilah reveals an old secret about him that's troubled her, and Elliott and Katherine finally admit to feelings for each other.
88"Lovefool"Shamim SarifMarly ReedMarch 12, 2023 (2023-03-12)1.43[14]
When her old boyfriend returns to Port Haven in the present, Alice realizes her relationship with him has no future. Katherine is shocked by family secrets, while Delilah tries to take a chance with Byron.
99"The Day the Music Died"Norma BaileyAlexandra ClarkeMarch 19, 2023 (2023-03-19)1.61[15]
Alice says goodbye to the past, knowing she needs to make a life in the present. Katherine unsuccessfully tries to stop her father's death in 2000. In the present, Delilah revisits old memories in a new light.
1010"Not All Who Wander Are Lost"Norma BaileyHeather ConkieMarch 26, 2023 (2023-03-26)1.74[16]
Teenage Katherine and Alice attend Colton's funeral in 2000, while mature Katherine watches it from a distance. In the present, Delilah goes to the grief group and makes peace with her memory of Colton, while Katherine has a new theory about what happened to Jacob.

Season 2 (2024)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [17]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [17]U.S. viewers
(millions) [18]
111"The Space Between"Grant HarveyAlexandra ClarkeJanuary 21, 2024 (2024-01-21)1.25[19]
Elliott has left town to come to grips with his future without Kat. Kat has taken over the local paper and she learns that the last women of an old town family has left some of her estate to the paper. There she discovers a portrait from 1814 that looks like her. Del re-creates traditions of the past. Alice misses her friends. Kat continues to grapple with Jacob's mystery in the wake of losing Elliot.
122"Hanging by a Moment"Grant HarveyHeather ConkieJanuary 28, 2024 (2024-01-28)1.16[20]
Del considers the future of Landry Farm in the present. Kat searches for answers through the past and believes she can find Jacob there in 1814. She realizes she was the lady in the 1814 portrait. Alice tries to make peace with Elliot in both the present and the past.
133"When You Were Young"Shamim SarifMarly ReedFebruary 4, 2024 (2024-02-04)1.19
The Landry women and Elliot reflect on what it means to grow up as they hang on to memories from their younger days while accepting who they have become. Del meets her new neighbor that is involved with her land lease. Later she finds a loose horse, and takes him in, enjoying the chance to have one again. Then she discovers that it belongs to her neighbor.
144"Wake Me Up When September Ends"Shamim SarifMichael Hanley & Masooma HussainFebruary 18, 2024 (2024-02-18)1.03
Alice reevaluates the past and her friendship with Elliot. They agree that she not tell teenage Elliott what she knows from the future. In 1814, Kat meets and befriends Suzanna, a healer and one of Elliott's ancestors, who tells her that history is told by winners and there is no historical trace of Jacob from that time. Kat also learns that Suzanna is engaged to Jacob. Brady orchestrates an elaborate production to propose to Kat, but she is overwhelmed by the display and declines. Afterwards when they are alone, she accepts. Alice gets a chance to see Nick again.
155"Long Time Gone"Grant HarveyAlexandra ClarkeFebruary 25, 2024 (2024-02-25)1.14
At the fall festival in the past, Elliott's father gets drunk, takes the mic, and goes on a public rant about how his family doesn't get the credit it deserves in the town. Kat and Elliott discover the path that Jacob was taken to return home in the distant past, and Kat returns there to await him. When his ship comes in, Jacob is immediately arrested and carried off by British soldiers while Kat watches.
166"How to Save a Life"Grant HarveyHeather ConkieMarch 3, 2024 (2024-03-03)1.24
Del gets word that remains have been found that could be Jacob's. Kat returns to Jacob's time and finds out that he was abducted not British soldiers, but by the owner of the boat who was in league with Thomas to steal from the British and let Jacob take the blame. The owner, Cyrus, was someone that Suzanna had refused to marry, and this could be revenge. Thomas, Suzanna, and Kat break into Cyrus's house to try and free Jacob. Kat distracts the men and escapes through the pond, resulting in the same scene that began the series in season 1 episode 1.
177"Somewhere Only We Know"Shamim SarifElyne Quan and Marly ReedMarch 10, 2024 (2024-03-10)1.08
Alice becomes interested in a party in 2007 at a property called Lingermore that resulted in the owner becoming a recluse, and now the property is for sale. Suzanna is trying to nurse Jacob back to health from a bad beating and Cyrus's men are hunting for Kat, believing her to be a witch. She confesses to Thomas that she is a time traveler.
188"Lose Yourself"Shamim SarifMarly ReedMarch 17, 2024 (2024-03-17)1.11
Alice discovers that Kat and Elliott were planning to run away to NYC, but Brady showed up before they could get away. Brady and Elliott began to fight and Kat got hurt trying to break them up. Nick returns to town and discovers the truth about the time travel and Alice's identity.
199"Here Without You"John FawcettAlexandra ClarkeMarch 24, 2024 (2024-03-24)1.09
Kat learns the story of how Jacob was discovered by his family in the past. Jacob tells Kat that most of his life is in the past and he doesn't want to return home. Elliott and Kat's plan to go to NY is squashed when Kat learns she is pregnant. Nick and Alice finally talk about their relationship in the past. Kat finds documentation that Thomas, who took Jacob's place in service to Cyrus, was executed by British soldiers and decides she needs to travel back to say goodbye.
2010"Bring Me to Life"John FawcettHeather ConkieMarch 31, 2024 (2024-03-31)1.36
Del makes arrangements to sell the farm. Alice and Elliott try a new theory on how the pond works and they are able to travel back together. They find something that helps Del and Kat mend old fences.

Critical reception

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The first season of The Way Home holds an 100% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews, with an average score of 7.5/10.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Hallmark's The Way Home, Starring Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh, Sets Premiere Date — Watch the Trailer". Yahoo! News.
  2. ^ Rice, Lynette (November 21, 2023). "The Way Home: Hallmark Reveals Return Date, New Teaser For Second Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Gelman, Vlada (March 20, 2024). "The Way Home Renewed for Season 3 at Hallmark Channel". TVLine. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "The Way Home (TV Series 2023– ) - Plot". IMDb.
  5. ^ Rice, Lynette (August 23, 2022). "'The Way Home': Evan Williams Cast In Hallmark Channel Series".
  6. ^ Rice, Lynette (November 17, 2022). "'The Way Home': Hallmark Announces Premiere Date, Drops Trailer For New Series Starring Andie McDowell, Chyler Leigh".
  7. ^ Salem, Mitch (January 18, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 1.15.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  8. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 24, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 1.22.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 31, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 1.29.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 7, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 2.5.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 22, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 2.19.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 1, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 2.26.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 7, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.5.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 14, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.12.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 21, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.19.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  16. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 28, 2023). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.26.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "The Way Home – Listings". Zap2it. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Way Home: Season Two Ratings". TV Series Finale. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  19. ^ V (January 24, 2024). "TV Ratings for Sunday 21st January 2024 - Network Prelims, Finals and Select Cable Numbers Posted". spoilertv.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  20. ^ V (January 31, 2024). "TV Ratings for Sunday 28th January 2024 - Network Prelims, Finals and Select Cable Numbers Posted". spoilertv.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Way Home: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com.
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